HRC63 - Iceland EoV - A/HRC/63/L.2 Mandate of the SR on Unilateral Coercive Measures

Human Rights Council – 63nd Session
Explanation of vote on draft resolution A/HRC/63/L.2
Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Unilateral Coercive Measures
Delivered by Iceland
6 October 2026

President,

Iceland thanks the core group, and Uganda on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement in particular, for the openness and courtesy with which our views were received during the informal consultations on draft resolution L.2. Iceland has engaged in good faith and it is in that spirit that we explain our vote.

Our position does not reflect indifference to the concerns that motivate the need for this resolution. Iceland shares the concern over the negative impact that sanctions regimes can have on civilian populations, in particular through over-compliance and de-risking by financial and commercial actors. Security council resolution nr. 2664 from 2022, as well as the humanitarian exemptions that have since been incorporated into many restrictive-measures frameworks, including those Iceland applies, demonstrate that this concern is shared across regions. In this regard, Iceland would welcome the opportunity to engage constructively on a text that reflects this.

The term “unilateral coercive measures” has no agreed definition in international law and that is primarily where our difficulty lies. Restrictive measures adopted in accordance with international law, in response to serious violations, are a legitimate instrument of foreign policy, intended to respond to violations of international law and human rights, and the mandate should not proceed from the presumption to the contrary.

In this light, we note with interest the Special Rapporteur’s acknowledgement in her latest report presented to this Council, that a differentiated analysis of measures should underpin her work. We encourage the core group to consider how that approach might be reflected in future texts.

For these reasons, Iceland will vote no on resolution L.2.

Thank you.